In 1885, an army of Dervishes lay siege to Khartoum with a small garrison commanded by Gerneral Gordon. No help reached him and they are slaughtered. Harry Faversham (John Clements) is pressured to join by traditions and his father. Ten years later, the Royal North Surrey Regiment is called to join the army of Sir Herbert Kitchener to the reconquest of the Sudan. Everybody is excited except for Faversham. He resigns on the eve of their departure after the death of his father. His three friends Durrance (Ralph Richardson), Burroughs (Donald Gray), and Willoughby (Jack Allen) each give him a feather as a sign of his cowardice. His fiancée Ethne Burroughs (June Duprez) can't support him and he plucks a feather from her fan. He decides to disguise himself as a hated mute Sangali to follow the Khalifa's army. As the British force stumble and lose, Faversham saves each of his former friends.
It's an old fashion epic from the Korda brothers. The action is big with giant masses of men. It does take awhile to get there. The acting is pretty stiff which actually fits these people of traditions and stiff upper lip. Nevertheless, the acting is old fashion with a backdrop of romanticism. The big action is where this movie excels.
It's an old fashion epic from the Korda brothers. The action is big with giant masses of men. It does take awhile to get there. The acting is pretty stiff which actually fits these people of traditions and stiff upper lip. Nevertheless, the acting is old fashion with a backdrop of romanticism. The big action is where this movie excels.